What is the best EMTB for distance combined with a bit of comfort?

[Sainter]

Hey everyone, first post on this forum!

At Xmas my dad who is 64 bought a Specialized Levo 2018 Carbon Fattie. I honestly think it is the best thing since sliced bread.

We did a ride from Alnmouth to Newcastle and it was around 40 miles. Some of the terrain was tough and sandy but about 2/3 was on tarmac or dirt paths. I personally ran out at around 38 miles and peddling on this fat tyre with no power is horrendous.

I absolutely love the bike and want to buy my own soon.

My question is: Which EMTB have the best range, while still having the amazing comfort and fun of the LEVO?

I have seen the new 2019 Levo top range has a 700W battery, but this is almost £10,000!! Ridiculous.

I went to my local bike shop and they are selling CUBE EMTB, it looks amazing with the bright colours but I am sceptical that at 1/3rd of the price they can compete with the Specialized Levo bikes. What would you say?

 

[ccrdave]

to be honest and excluding battery size which of course will give more range the bigger it is. its about weight and rolling resistance, which means
rider weight, the heavier you are the less range you will get
bike weight is the same! heavier the bike less range
tyres more drag less range
mode you ride in, turbo will suck the battery faster than eco and the setting you use for engine support
and lastly the terrain you ride hills and climbing means less range.
hope that helps

 

[MattyB]

Canyon Neuron:On 29er plus a spare Shimano battery should do what you want for £3.5-4.5k. If you are only tackling gentler XC routes you could also look at cheaper hardtail options like the Vitus Sentier which would bring that down to around the £3k mark with a spare battery.

 

[Sainter]

Canyon Neuron:On 29er plus a spare Shimano battery should do what you want for £3.5-4.5k. If you are only tackling gentler XC routes you could also look at cheaper hardtail options like the Vitus Sentier which would bring that down to around the £3k mark with a spare battery.

Hello,

Am I right in understanding you suggest buying the Canyon bike with 250W and buy the spare battery which has 500W? Making a total of 750W worth of battery life for my trip?

 

[Sainter]

to be honest and excluding battery size which of course will give more range the bigger it is. its about weight and rolling resistance, which means
rider weight, the heavier you are the less range you will get
bike weight is the same! heavier the bike less range
tyres more drag less range
mode you ride in, turbo will suck the battery faster than eco and the setting you use for engine support
and lastly the terrain you ride hills and climbing means less range.
hope that helps

Thanks, I appreciate this.

I am just trying to wonder though for one rider which bike will get the most overall range over a wide range of circumstances. Which EMTB has the best life really. I imagine the new specialized levo with 700W might be the champ?

 

[ggx]

my choice was a Cube,
Great quality, specs and pricing.
Last week I´ve made 50 Km with mores than 1000 mts ot trail climbing and ended home with 2 bars of juicy left.

 

[Welshman]

Thanks, I appreciate this.

I am just trying to wonder though for one rider which bike will get the most overall range over a wide range of circumstances. Which EMTB has the best life really. I imagine the new specialized levo with 700W might be the champ?

Im 19st - i ride a cube acid one with carbon forks and thunder burt tyres. I got 37 miles and 1500ft of climbing from my 500wh battery using mostly tour mode, the terrain for 30miles was sticky, muddy rural canal network and a 4mile climb home of 1500ft and had 1 bar left when i returned home...its about what levels you use, terrain, gearing and mileage...the levo isnt always the best answer.

i also have a rear rack and bag on my cube...so if needed i can throw in the spare 400wh battery i have to make an even longer journey/ride possible...

this is my cube without the rack and just a seatpost bag.....

 

[mark.ai]

All other things being equal the bigger battery will go the furthest So a 700Wh battery will go 40% further than a 500Wh battery. But for longer rides you can also carry a spare battery. E.g. 500Wh battery + 500Wh spare will go 40% further than a 700Wh battery So it really depends on the distances you want to go and the configuration choices that work best for you.

If you're interested in the Specialized Levo in particular you can buy the 700Wh batteries separately (for £1000 I think?) so you don't have to buy the top of the range bike just to get the larger battery.

 

[MattyB]

Canyon Neuron:On 29er plus a spare Shimano battery should do what you want for £3.5-4.5k. If you are only tackling gentler XC routes you could also look at cheaper hardtail options like the Vitus Sentier which would bring that down to around the £3k mark with a spare battery.

Am I right in understanding you suggest buying the Canyon bike with 250W and buy the spare battery which has 500W? Making a total of 750W worth of battery life for my trip?

No, that's not quite correct. Don't confuse Watts (W, a measure of power) and Watt hours (Wh, a measure of battery capacity).

Almost all the mid-drive pedal assist ebikes discussed on this forum have a nominal power rating of 250W (though they will all deliver substantially more than that for shorter periods), but battery capacities vary from 250Wh of the upcoming Lapierre Ezesty up through the 500Wh of most popular bikes (Levo, Kenevo, Canyon, Vitus, Cube, Haibike, Giant etc) all the way up to the 700Wh of the most expensive Levos. That 700Wh Levo would have the most range on a single pack for a given rider weight, but it would still be miles more expensive than the cheaper Shimano and Bosch powered bikes plus a spare 500Wh battery, giving a total of 1000Wh bike for £3.5-4.5k.

 

[MattyB]

All other things being equal the bigger battery will go the furthest So a 700Wh battery will go 40% further than a 500Wh battery. But for longer rides you can also carry a spare battery. E.g. 500Wh battery + 500Wh spare will go 40% further than a 700Wh battery So it really depends on the distances you want to go and the configuration choices that work best for you.

If you're interested in the Specialized Levo in particular you can buy the 700Wh batteries separately (for £1000 I think?) so you don't have to buy the top of the range bike just to get the larger battery.

A base level Levo plus a spare pack would be £5k for 1200Wh of battery capacity, and I agree would probably be the current range king. However the base level Levo has a pretty low spec compared to most competitors, and as many have noted the extremely long thin shape of the latest Levo packs makes carrying a spare a pain. Shimano spare batteries are also way cheaper. At present I would rather have a cheaper Shimano powered bike with 2x 500Wh packs which would make completing 99.5% of my rides a doddle even if I used Trail all the way.

 

[ccrdave]

range extender batteries from Danny are even cheaper but not quite as big, advantage as i see it is you dont have to carry it, it fits on the bike

 

[Sainter]

So it seems like the sensible conclusion would be:

Buy one of the cheaper CUBE bikes and just buy an extra battery to take with you.
Dont spend £10,000 on the levo 700w bike.

 

[Sainter]

range extender batteries from Danny are even cheaper but not quite as big, advantage as i see it is you dont have to carry it, it fits on the bike

Would you mind giving me a link as an example? I cant seem to find what you are talking about.

 

[MattyB]

Levo and Kenevo Battery Range Extenders

Levo Range Extender

 

[ccrdave]

have a look here
Levo Range Extender

 

[Welshman]

So it seems like the sensible conclusion would be:

Buy one of the cheaper CUBE bikes and just buy an extra battery to take with you.
Dont spend £10,000 on the levo 700w bike.

thats what i would do, in your position

i have 2 x cube e bikes and love them both

 

[Sainter]

OMG that is AMAZING! Where do I buy one?

 

[MattyB]

@Sainter, please read the links we have posted - all the info is there... (I will post this one again as it links you to the English version of the site)

Levo Range Extender

 

[More-read-than-ride]

thats what i would do, in your position

i have 2 x cube e bikes and love them both

OMG that is AMAZING! Where do I buy one?

thats what i would do, in your position

i have 2 x cube e bikes and love them both

I agree om both Cube and Canyon for value for money, I gave up on Specialized for the same reason. However, Canyon should theoretically offer a little more range due to the 29" front, lower weight and it is important to note that the battery is external so eaiser to change on the fly. THe downside of Canyon is that you cannot take it to your local store, but if that is not an issue a great option with two 500Wh batteries.

 

[More-read-than-ride]

By the way, I heard you can buy the basic Levo but spec the 700Wh battery instead at your local dealer. Can anyone confirm that? Anyone knows the price?

 

[ccrdave]

there are loads of very good ebikes available but I would suggest one very important point, aftersales support, all bikes whatever the make can potentially have problems from minor niggles like gears need adjusting to major ones like a broken motor or dead battery. It worth thinking about how warranty claims will be handled on the bike you choose

 

[Levo Lution]

By the way, I heard you can buy the basic Levo but spec the 700Wh battery instead at your local dealer. Can anyone confirm that? Anyone knows the price?

Basic model + 700Wh battery would be nice ☺ what is the source of this information though?

 

[More-read-than-ride]

Basic model + 700Wh battery would be nice ☺ what is the source of this information though?

I believe I read it on emtb-Ebike.com but I am not sure. Hopefully your local dealer can answer...

 

[MattyB]

From memory several posts on here indicate that is not possible - most people are buying the 700 as a second battery, not as a swap. Try "buy 700Wh battery" or similar in the search bar...

 

[R120]

Riese and Muller Delite

Has two batteries as stock

Delite mountain – Performance excel | Riese & Müller

 

[More-read-than-ride]

The bulls E-CORE EVO EN Di2 27.5+ also has two batteries 750Wh and has recieved great reviews (Not sure if they are impartial). Also, in my opinion much better looking. great spec for the money too...